Christian Horner has been dismissed as team principal at Red Bull, the racing stable announced on Wednesday. The team and staff at the Red Bull factory had already heard the news. The Briton gave an emotional farewell speech, thanking the team for the past twenty years. Horner also revealed that the news came as a shock to him, but he will remain employed by the Red Bull company.
After twenty years, Christian Horner is no longer the team principal of Red Bull as of last Wednesday. The Austrian team decided to end the collaboration with the Briton after persistent disappointing results. This marks the end of Horner’s twenty years of loyal service to the Austrians. The Briton bid farewell to the staff at the Red Bull factory with an emotional speech.
‘Wanted to share the news with you myself’
“Yesterday, Red Bull told me that I am no longer involved in the operational management of the team,” Horner begins his speech. “I will remain employed by the company, but I am passing on the operational baton. And of course, this came as a shock to me. I have had the past twelve hours to think about it, and I wanted to share the news with you myself. I also wanted to thank everyone for how much you have committed to the team over the past twenty and a half years.”
Horner became the team principal of Red Bull in 2005, and before his dismissal, he was the longest-serving team principal. “When I arrived here at Red Bull, with a few less grey hairs on my head, I didn’t know what to expect. But I felt welcome right away. We then started building what would eventually become a powerhouse in Formula 1. Being part of this team was a true pleasure,” the Briton concludes. Red Bull won the constructors’ title six times and the drivers’ title eight times under Horner’s leadership, including with Max Verstappen.
